A House Wrecked.

Manawatu Herald, 4 August 1898, Page 3

A House Wrecked.

A heavy fall of earth at the back of Mr Loudon's house in Boulcott terrace yesterday (Tuesday) completely broke in the side of the dwelling, and rendered it unfit for habitation. The earth which formed part of an embankment at the back of the house was enclosed by a brick wall ioin thick, and the whole mass, weighing between 200 and 300 tons, came down at about half-past 3. The building was thrown out of plumb a well defined curve being noticeable in the walls from the outside, and the " debris " went through the walls of two bedrooms, completely filling one of them and destroying the furniture. Mrs Loudon and her mother (Mrs Whitaker) were the only people inside at the time of the accident, and though very much shaken and frightened were not in any way hurt. The house was an eightroomed one, and was only finished last April. A drain laid bare by the slip at the back of the cement wall seems to have been the cause of the accident. The pipes had never been properly cemented together, and so the water in the drain leaked through and, finding no outlet, burst through the wall. Messrs Beere and Fulton who examined the place shortly after the fall had occurred, ascribed the whole thing to the leaking drain. It had been laid down many years ago. — N.Z. "Times."